Chapter 242

Jinzhi froze on the spot; she had always worried about getting along poorly with the Zhao family, and if she herself suffered some injustice it would be fine, but dragging Rui Wangfu into trouble would not do.

She was not the type to casually stir up trouble, and she knew her own worth; although she had forgotten past events completely, she had never forgotten the principles of being a person.

The Princess Consort of Rui was her benefactor; although Prince Rui had mistaken her for someone else, she bore no resentment whatsoever.

This is fate, her fate alone.

From the moment she stepped into the Zhao household, she had been meticulously careful, fearing any mistake that could be used against her and ultimately reflected on Rui Wangfu.

She had thought the Zhao family, being of military lineage, would surely have some harshness inside and out, but she never expected her mother-in-law to be so kind and amiable.

Her heart instantly relaxed a little, and she felt a surge of gratitude.

Madame Zhao was her mother-in-law, her elder; her own parents were gone, and although she had just been recognized by the An family, she still felt utterly like a stranger.

Her elder brother and sister-in-law had given her much warmth, and now this woman before her felt like a mother, making her feel more reliant.

She hurriedly kowtowed properly to Madame Zhao before slowly rising.

Immediately after, she and Zhao Lang performed the marital bow, then she was led to the rear warm chamber.

Because the Zhao family was welcoming a new bride, the courtyard where the newlyweds lived was renovated inside and out, with large red happiness characters posted everywhere.

Since Jinzhi came from Rui Wangfu, and Prince Rui and his consort had a bad reputation in Shang Jing, no one dared to provoke them.

Even among the Zhao clan's relatives, no one came to cause a bridal disturbance, so Madame Zhao had to steel herself and personally visit the daughter-in-law's side, sending a few older boys in to ask Rui Wangfu's grandmothers for candy and pastries, which counted as the bridal prank.

Madame Zhao, accompanied by Madame Cheng, had just rounded the covered corridor when she saw her son staggering drunk into a side study, not returning to the warm chamber to rest.

Her steps halted instantly, and a flash of displeasure crossed her face.

Madame Cheng beside her also drew a quiet breath, wondering what to say.

As a newlywed young general, why not go to the bride's chamber but instead hide in the study to sleep? If this got out, wouldn't it be another scandal?

One must know that neglecting the bride on the wedding night, if spread, would likely invite ridicule from Shang Jing's populace; mocking the bride would be tantamount to slapping Rui Wangfu's face.

Madame Zhao's face turned livid with anger; she gritted her teeth silently, lowered her head, searched around, finally found a wooden stick, and headed toward her son's study.

"Madam! Madam!" Madame Cheng hurriedly tried to stop her.

"What are you stopping me for?"

Madame Zhao's face darkened completely: "Not staying in the bride's chamber on the wedding night—who are you humiliating?"

"For a woman to marry him is to have incurred eight lifetimes of bloody misfortune!"

"What, do you despise her as unworthy of him, or what?"

"If you despise her, you should have, at the outset, risked his neck and directly reported to the emperor to break off the engagement; why bother marrying her in, only to trample her again?"

"We Zhao family members have always conducted ourselves uprightly and sat properly; where does this sort of bullying come from?"

"You little brat, just watch me not break your legs!"

Madame Zhao was truly furious; she had been looking forward to holding a grandson, and besides, she had previously seen Miss Jinzhi behaving properly and courteously, showing no airs of Rui Wangfu, whereas this obedient grandson was putting on some foul expression—who was he trying to impress?

Madame Zhao herself had come from a martial family; her father was a Northwest escort agency chief who guarded caravans.

She had married a honest and straightforward merchant, borne a son, originally not wanting him to join the army, not expecting Zhao Lang to have loved martial practice since childhood and studied military tactics, yet he ended up making a name for himself in the military.

Yet this good-for-nothing son had wasted so many years without bringing back a wife; now that he finally married, he still pulls this stunt?

Bullying her maiden?

She kicked the study door open, raised the stick, and struck toward him.

Zhao Lang instantly panicked, sobering up more than half, and the military manual in his hand fell to the ground.

Madame Zhao lunged forward, striking him head and face.

"What? Which military manual are you reading on your wedding night? There are plenty of days to study hard, yet you choose tonight to be diligent?"

"Jinzhi is Prince Rui's adopted sister and the eldest legitimate daughter of the An family—what about her is not worthy of you?"

"Why must you thus trample my daughter-in-law?"

"Her background is so pitiful; she finally married with difficulty—is this being sent to you to bully? If you want to bully her, I, as her mother-in-law, will not allow it!"

"She, a maiden, married into our Zhao household, came here alone, with no relatives in sight, surrounded by strangers, relying solely on you—yet you abandon her in the rear courtyard, letting others laugh at your wife?"

"Today I won't beat you to death! I, your mother, share your surname!"

"Get back to the bridal chamber! If you don't go, I'll beat you to death!"

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Lang took several blows; though he had martial arts, he could only dodge, but his mother had also trained, and the strikes still hurt quite a bit!

He was actually forced to flee toward the bridal chamber against his will.

"Mother! Stop hitting! Mother! You simply don't understand!"

"I don't understand? I understand propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame; I understand loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness; I also understand that one must not bully people! Come here!" Madame Zhao then struck him with several more sticks.

Zhao Lang had no chance to explain at all, being beaten and scolded, and was kicked straight into the warm chamber's door.

That kick really used some force; Zhao Lang tripped badly on the threshold, fell headlong inside, and having been stunned by his mother's blows, he even forgot his own peerless martial prowess.

Immediately afterward, he embarrassingly knelt and slumped beside the couch, ending up right at Jinzhi's feet.

Jinzhi hastily rose, instinctively lifting her veil to look at her husband before her.

Zhao Lang wore a red robe, tinged with a hint of wine, which accentuated his handsome, suave bearing, though his movements at this moment were somewhat disheveled.

The warm chamber's door was slammed shut from outside, accompanied by Madame Zhao's somewhat appeasing laughter.

"Daughter-in-law, rest well!"

Then she hurried away.

In an instant, the warm chamber fell dead silent; Jinzhi gazed incredulously at Zhao Lang kneeling before her, his appearance somehow making her want to laugh for no clear reason.

She pressed her lips together, then quickly lowered her head and coughed once.

Zhao Lang's handsome face turned as red as pig's liver; on his wedding night, kneeling to his wife—would he henceforth be ill-fated?

He hastily scrambled up from the floor, feeling both angry and ashamed, and coldly stared at Jinzhi: "What are you laughing at? Is it really that funny?"

Jinzhi restrained her smile; she also felt a bit nervous, not knowing what to do.

When she got married before, her sister-in-law didn't tell her what to do on the wedding night; instead, she dumped all those hidden weapons and such small items into her hands and explained in detail how to use them.

But on the wedding night, she really didn't know how to get along with her husband.

Jinzhi could barely stand there; Zhao Lang walked over to a side table in annoyance, sat down, picked up a teacup, tilted his head back and drank it, then lifted his gaze to look at Jinzhi.

The red candles flickered, casting light on her half‑intact, utterly beautiful cheek, which was stunningly beautiful!

His heart skipped a beat involuntarily, he felt his throat a little dry, drank two more cups of tea, took a breath, and said: "Just rest; I'll stay here seated."

Jinzhi's cheeks flushed slightly, yet she walked over to Zhao Lang.